Arab-Israeli wars

Arab-Israeli wars, series of military conflicts between Israeli and various Arab forces, most notably in 1948–49, 1956, 1967, 1973, and 1982.

An Israeli tank driving past wounded soldiers during the Yom Kippur War (1973), the fourth …

David Rubinger—Time Life Pictures/Getty Images

The first war immediately followed Israel’s proclamation of statehood on May 14, 1948. Arab forces from Egypt, Transjordan (Jordan), Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon occupied the areas in southern and eastern Palestine not apportioned to the Jews by the United Nations (UN) partition of Palestine and then captured east Jerusalem, including the small Jewish quarter of the Old City, in an effort to forestall the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine. The Israelis, meanwhile, won control of the main road ... (100 of 1,175 words)